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July 31 (Reuters) - A group of Democratic state attorneys general has urged a federal appeals court to lift an order sharply curbing the ability of government officials to push social media companies to moderate content they deem harmful. Circuit Court of Appeals that the order hampers efforts by government officials to stop the spread of false information. They alleged that U.S. government officials, under both Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, effectively coerced social media companies to censor posts over concerns they would fuel vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic or upend elections. The office of Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; editing by Deepa Babington and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Letitia James, Terry Doughty, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Andrew Bailey, Jeff Landry, Edith Brown Clement, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Don Willett, Brendan Pierson, Deepa Babington, Leslie Adler Organizations: Democratic, District of Columbia, New York, New, Circuit, Appeals, District, Republican, U.S, Facebook, YouTube, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of, Missouri, Thomson Locations: New Orleans, U.S, Louisiana, Missouri, New York

July 31 (Reuters) - Healthcare providers and an abortion rights group on Monday sued Alabama in an effort to block the state from criminally prosecuting people who help others travel out of state to get abortions. In a lawsuit filed in Montgomery, Alabama federal court, the West Alabama Women's Center, the Alabama Women's Center and its medical director Yashica Robinson said any such prosecutions would violate a basic right to travel between states under the U.S. Constitution. Alabama in 2019 passed the Human Life Protection Act, a law banning nearly all abortions. The healthcare providers said the threat of prosecution prevents them from advising patients about where they could travel to get abortions, and the Yellowhammer Fund said it had been forced to shut down its abortion funding in Alabama. "That includes abortion providers conspiring to violate the Act."

Persons: Yashica Robinson, Wade, Steve Marshall, Alabamans, Robin Marty, Marshall, Amanda Priest, Brendan Pierson, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Healthcare, Monday, Alabama, West Alabama Women's Center, Alabama Women's Center, U.S, U.S . Constitution, Yellowhammer, Supreme, Yellowhammer Fund, West Alabama Women's, Thomson Locations: Montgomery , Alabama, U.S ., Alabama, Roe, New York

July 31 (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Monday on behalf of Oklahoma residents asking a state judge to block the creation of the nation's first religious public charter school. Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, one of the defendants in the suit, in June approved the Catholic Church's application to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would use millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to operate. Rebecca Wilkinson, the executive director of the statewide virtual charter school board, said in an email that the agency would not comment on pending litigation. Charter schools are publicly funded and independently run under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority. Listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging St. Isidore are nine Oklahoma residents and the Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee.

Persons: Isidore of, Isidore, Brett Farley, Farley, Ryan Walters, Walters, St, Rebecca Wilkinson, Gentner Drummond, Brad Brooks, Donna Bryson, Bill Berkrot, Deepa Babington Organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Charter School Board, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Oklahoma, Catholic, Catholic Archdiocese of, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, University of Notre Dame, The ACLU, Americans United, and State, Education Law Center, Religion Foundation, Thomson Locations: Isidore of Seville, Oklahoma, U.S ., Maine and Montana, St, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Indiana, Lubbock , Texas

In a proposed class action filed on Monday in Brooklyn federal court, Siragusa accused Taco Bell of deceiving consumers by falsely advertising its Mexican Pizza, Veggie Mexican Pizza, Crunchwrap Supreme, Grande Crunchwrap and Vegan Crunchwrap as containing "at least double" their actual content. He is not alleging that the items contain less content than Taco Bell describes on its website. Taco Bell, a unit of Yum Brands (YUM.N), did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "Taco Bell does not adequately disclose the weight of the beef or filling," Russo said in an email. The case is Siragusa v Taco Bell Corp, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No.

Persons: Frank Siragusa, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Anthony Russo, Burger King, Russo, Plaintiff, Jonathan Stempel, Bill Berkrot Organizations: YORK, Pizza, Taco Bell, New York City, Taco, Yum Brands, Burger, Taco Bell Corp, Court, Eastern District of, Thomson Locations: Taco, New York, Brooklyn, Ridgewood , New York, Miami, Eastern District, Eastern District of New York

July 31 (Reuters) - The judge presiding over a Georgia grand jury investigation into Donald Trump on Monday rejected the former U.S. president's bid to disqualify the lead prosecutor and block any indictments stemming from the probe, which is expected to yield charges in the coming weeks. Trump's lawyers have filed a separate long-shot bid to disqualify Willis that will be heard by another judge next week. The special grand jury was convened at Willis's request to aid in her investigation. The jury, which had subpoena power but not the authority to issue charges, heard testimony from dozens of witnesses. Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Howard Goller and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Donald Trump, Robert McBurney, Georgia's, Democrat Joe Biden, Fani Willis, Trump, Willis, Rudy Giuliani, Biden, McBurney, Joseph Ax, Rami Ayyub, Howard Goller, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Monday, Democrat, Fulton, Trump, Thomson Locations: Georgia, U.S, Fulton County

The Texas Bankers Association (TBA), American Bankers Association (ABA) and a small Texas bank sued in April, saying the CFPB had no authority to issue the rule because an appeals court found the regulator's funding structure unlawful. U.S. District Court Judge Randy Crane in McAllen, Texas, granted a preliminary injunction blocking the CFPB from enforcing the rule against members of both groups and McAllen-based Rio Bank. Crane blocked the rule pending a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on the CFPB's funding structure. The law also required the small business loan rule. 23-00144, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas.

Persons: Randy Crane, Crane, Dodd, Frank, Jody Godoy, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Supreme, Texas Bankers Association, American Bankers Association, ABA, U.S, Rio Bank, Circuit, Appeals, Federal Reserve, Congress, U.S . Constitution, Consumer Financial, Court, Southern District of Texas, Thomson Locations: Texas, U.S, McAllen , Texas, McAllen, U.S ., Southern District, New York

[1/2] Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 29, 2023. Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, was accused of trying to delete security camera footage and lying to investigators. Prosecutors first charged Trump and his aide Walt Nauta in June in the case, alleging Trump haphazardly stored hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home and enlisted staff to hide them from investigators. De Oliveira and Nauta also moved boxes of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago to conceal them from the FBI and Trump's lawyers, the indictment said. Trump has pleaded not guilty, saying the cases against him are part of a politically motivated "witch hunt."

Persons: Donald Trump, Lindsay DeDario, Carlos De Oliveira, Trump’s, Trump, Walt Nauta, Nauta, De Oliveira, Prosecutors, Jack Smith, Fani Willis, Jack Queen, Noeleen Walder, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S, Republican, REUTERS, MIAMI, Prosecutors, Trump, Justice Department, Mar, FBI, Manhattan’s Democratic, Media, Thomson Locations: Erie , Pennsylvania, U.S, Miami, Lago, Palm Beach , Florida, Florida, Georgia, Fulton County

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan in Trenton, New Jersey, ruled that a J&J company's second bankruptcy, like its first, must be dismissed because the talc lawsuits did not put it in immediate "financial distress." J&J's first bankruptcy gambit began in 2021, when it offloaded its talc liabilities into a new company, LTL Management, and immediately placed that company into bankruptcy. Attorneys representing cancer victims, along with the U.S. Justice Department's bankruptcy watchdog, had called for LTL's second bankruptcy to be dismissed as an abuse of U.S. bankruptcy law. Andy Birchfield, an attorney who represents cancer victims, said the second bankruptcy was meant to keep the talc lawsuits from being heard by juries. J&J argued that the proposed bankruptcy settlement offers a fairer and faster resolution for cancer claimants than litigation in other courts.

Persons: Johnson, Mike Segar, imperiling, Michael Kaplan, J, Kaplan, J's, LTL's, LTL, U.S . Justice Department's, Andy Birchfield, Birchfield, Dietrich Knauth, Mike Spector, Jonathan Oatis, Matthew Lewis, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Johnson, LTL Management, U.S . Justice, J, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Trenton , New Jersey, California

NEW YORK, July 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop Purdue Pharma from proceeding with a bankruptcy settlement that protects its Sackler family owners from lawsuits. Purdue's bankruptcy plan would shield its owners from opioid lawsuits in exchange for a $6 billion contribution to the company's broader bankruptcy settlement. Approving Purdue's bankruptcy plan "would leave in place a roadmap for wealthy corporations and individuals to misuse the bankruptcy system," the U.S Trustee argued. They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." The Supreme Court set an Aug. 4 deadline for Purdue to respond.

Persons: Sackler, OxyContin, Dietrich Knauth, Matthew Lewis Organizations: YORK, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S, Supreme, Purdue Pharma, Purdue, U.S . Trustee, The U.S, Thomson Locations: Purdue's, U.S, Connecticut, New York

Companies Live Nation Entertainment Inc FollowJuly 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice could file an antitrust lawsuit against concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment (LYV.N) and its unit Ticketmaster by the end of the year, Politico reported on Friday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. Shares of Live Nation dropped 5% in extended trading on Friday. The potential lawsuit could claim that the entertainment giant is abusing its power over the live music industry, Politico reported, adding that the timing of the case was not firm and the DOJ could decide to drop it. Live Nation and the DOJ did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Taylor Swift's, Urvi Dugar, Yuvraj Malik, Devika Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, Entertainment, Ticketmaster, Politico, DOJ, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

July 28 (Reuters) - Here is a list of legal troubles facing former U.S. President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Trump said his attorneys met on Thursday with U.S. Justice Department officials, in a sign charges could come soon. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the Department of Justice had not told his attorneys when action was likely. Officials have testified that during his final months in office, Trump pressured them with false voter fraud claims. Legal experts said Trump may have violated at least three Georgia criminal laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, JAN, General Merrick Garland, Trump's, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, De Oliveira, Fani Willis, Brad Raffensperger, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, reimbursing Cohen, Cohen, Jean Carroll, Carroll, Letitia James, James, Donald Jr, Eric, Joseph Ax, Luc Cohen, Karen Freifeld, Susan Heavey, Sarah N, Lynch, Jonathan Stempel, Jacqueline Thomsen, Noeleen Walder, Howard Goller, Daniel Wallis Organizations: CAPITOL, U.S, Capitol, U.S . Justice Department, Department of Justice, White, Trump, Prosecutors, Republican Georgia, U.S . Constitution, Trump's, CNN, NEW, GENERAL, New York, Trump Organization, Thomson Locations: Miami, Lago Florida, New Jersey, GEORGIA, Fulton County, Georgia, U.S ., York, Manhattan, Lago, Florida, New York

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried must be jailed, is intimidating witnesses, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, July 28 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried must be jailed pending his October fraud trial over the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded because he is trying to intimidate witnesses and influence their testimony, prosecutors said on Friday. Prosecutors first made their surprise request to detain Bankman-Fried before his Oct. 2 trial at a Wednesday hearing, where Kaplan barred Bankman-Fried from discussing the case. Prosecutors had in January accused Bankman-Fried of seeking to influence the testimony of an FTX lawyer. Ellison pleaded guilty to fraud charges and is expected to testify against Bankman-Fried at trial. Two former FTX executives, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh, have also pleaded guilty over FTX's collapse and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Palo, Caroline Ellison's, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Fried, Ellison, Bankman, Kaplan, Prosecutors, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Luc Cohen, Daniel Wallis Organizations: YORK, New York Times, Times, District, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, Bankman, Thomson Locations: Palo Alto , California, Bahamas, U.S, Manhattan, Alameda, New York

July 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday temporarily blocked a lower court's decision to strike down a regulation aimed at reining in privately made firearms known as "ghost guns" that are difficult for law enforcement to trace. The administration asked the justices to halt a Texas-based federal judge's nationwide ruling that invalidated a Justice Department restriction on the sale of ghost gun kits while it appeals to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. The administration warned that allowing the judge's ruling to stand would enable an "irreversible flow of large numbers of untraceable ghost guns into our nation's communities." The rule clarified that ghost guns qualify as "firearms" under the federal Gun Control Act, requiring serial numbers and manufacturers be licensed. Several plaintiffs, including two gun owners and two gun rights advocacy groups, challenged the rule in federal court in Texas.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Alito, Joe Biden's, Sellers, Judge Reed O'Connor, Andrew Chung, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Supreme, Circuit, Appeals, Department, federal Gun Control, Thomson Locations: Texas, New Orleans, Texas . U.S, New York

The ruling allows the oversight district to pursue its case that seeks to void "backroom deals" favorable to Disney that were struck with a prior district board earlier this year. A Disney spokesperson said the decision "has no bearing" on the federal lawsuit seeking to "vindicate Disney's constitutional rights." "We are fully confident Disney will prevail in both the federal and state cases," the spokesperson said in an email. The skirmish began last year after Disney criticized a Florida law banning classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity with younger children. DeSantis rallied lawmakers to pass bills that reconstituted the district as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and transferred power over the board to the governor from Disney.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Disney, Lawmakers, Tom Hals, Jody Godoy, Deepa Babington, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang Organizations: Walt Disney Co, DeSantis, Disney, Republican, Central, Thomson Locations: WILMINGTON , Delaware, Florida, Central Florida, District, Wilmington , Delaware, New York

Companies Airbus SE FollowWASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - The Justice Department on Friday asked a U.S. judge to dismiss a 2020 criminal case against European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) after more than three years. A 2020 deferred prosecution agreement resolved an investigation into charges Airbus violated anti-bribery laws and export controls. The planemaker paid about $4 billion worldwide including about $582 million in U.S. penalties. Under the deal, Airbus agreed to continue to cooperate with the department in any ongoing investigations and prosecutions relating to the conduct and to enhance its compliance program. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Shepardson, Conor Humphries Organizations: Airbus, Justice Department, European, European Union, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, United States

July 27 (Reuters) - A high-profile lawsuit by a California woman who claimed that Subway's tuna products contain ingredients other than tuna has been dismissed. The Oakland, California-based judge will rule later on Subway's request that Amin's lawyers be sanctioned for bringing a frivolous class action. Amin claimed to have ordered Subway tuna products more than 100 times before suing in January 2021, claiming that its tuna sandwiches, salads and wraps included other fish species, chicken, pork and cattle, or no tuna at all. Subway also faulted Amin's "ever-changing" theories to debunk its claim that its tuna products were "100% tuna." In opposing sanctions, Amin's lawyers said she had a "good faith, non-frivolous basis based on testing and evidence that there was something amiss" with Subway tuna.

Persons: Nilima Amin, Jon Tigar's, Amin, Amin's, Tigar, Jonathan Stempel, Jamie Freed Organizations: U.S, District, Subway, Court, Northern District of, Thomson Locations: California, Oakland , California, U.S, Northern District, Northern District of California

NEW YORK, July 27 (Reuters) - Bill Hwang, the founder of Archegos Capital Management, on Thursday asked a judge to let him subpoena documents from 10 banks, in an effort to shift blame as he defends against criminal fraud charges that the firm's collapse was his fault. The office of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, which is prosecuting Hwang, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Other banks also lost money when Archegos collapsed, but less than Credit Suisse. That caused it to miss margin calls, and banks to dump stocks that had backed the swaps and which they had bought as hedges. The case is U.S. v. Hwang et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Persons: Bill Hwang, Hwang, Damian Williams, Archegos, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, Mitsubishi UFJ, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, Alvin Hellerstein, Hwang et, Jonathan Stempel, Daniel Wallis Organizations: YORK, Archegos Capital Management, UBS, Credit Suisse, Prosecutors, Bank of Montreal, Deutsche Bank, Mitsubishi, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Macquarie, Mizuho, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York

July 27 (Reuters) - Epic Games on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a lower court ruling to take effect against Apple Inc (AAPL.O) that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its App Store. Circuit Court of Appeals to pause its ruling that upheld an injunction against Apple. The decision gave Apple 90 days to pursue an appeal at the Supreme Court. In the closely-watched case, Epic filed its antitrust lawsuit in 2020 challenging Apple's App Store practices. Epic told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the 9th Circuit's standard for putting cases on hold is "far too lenient."

Persons: Apple, Andrew Chung, John Kruzel, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Apple Inc, San, Circuit, Appeals, Apple, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, United States, New York, Washington

☆ Bankman-Fried campaign finance charge dropped, lessening trial's political focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He got a modest victory on Wednesday night when prosecutors decided to drop a campaign finance charge claiming the former billionaire illegally directed associates to donate millions of dollars to political campaigns. Mark Kasten, a lawyer at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Philadelphia, said dropping the campaign finance charge could help Bankman-Fried by letting his lawyers "focus their narrative" on the fraud case. "Jurors have a visceral reaction to campaign finance charges: campaign finance charges are crimes on the public, and jurors themselves are indirect victims," he said. Ellison, the former chief executive of Bankman-Fried's crypto-focused hedge fund Alameda Research, pleaded guilty to fraud charges and is expected to testify against him. Nishad Singh, FTX's former director of engineering, pleaded guilty to fraud and campaign finance charges, saying he used transfers from Alameda to make political donations in part to bolster Bankman-Fried's and FTX's political influence.

Persons: Buchanan Ingersoll, Rooney, Sam Bankman, Caroline Ellison, FTX, Fried, Bankman, Mark Kasten, Ellison, Nishad Singh, FTX's, Gary Wang, Luc Cohen, Chris Reese Organizations: New York Times, U.S, Bankman, Alameda Research, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Bahamas, Philadelphia, Alameda, New York

The proposed deal would provide funds over a 13-year period to cities, towns and other public water systems to test and treat contamination of PFAS. They also said the deal could shift liability for future health concerns caused by PFAS from 3M onto the water systems themselves. That means the chemical maker could potentially seek compensation from the water systems in future litigation over things like PFAS-related cancer clusters, the states said. 3M, which is facing thousands of lawsuits over PFAS contamination, did not admit liability in the proposed settlement. It said in June that the money will help support remediation at public water systems that detect PFAS "at any level."

Persons: Scott Summy, “, Rob Bonta, Richard Gergel, Clark Mindock, Amy Stevens, Aurora Ellis, Diane Craft Organizations: 3M, District of Columbia, PFAS, U.S, District, New, U.S . Chamber, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Thomson Locations: U.S, California, Texas , New York, South Carolina, United States, New York State

☆ US judge tightens Sam Bankman-Fried's bail, will consider jailing him
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Indicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried walks outside at the United States Courthouse in New York City, U.S., July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File PhotoNEW YORK, July 26 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday tightened Sam Bankman-Fried's bail conditions, restricting his ability to communicate publicly, and will consider jailing him ahead of his trial over the collapse of his FTX cryptocurrency exchange. "I'm very mindful of the government's interest in this issue, which I take seriously," Kaplan said at a hearing in Manhattan federal court. Ellison, also Alameda's former chief executive, has pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Amr Alfiky, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Fried, Caroline Ellison's, Kaplan, Mark Cohen, FTX, Ellison, Luc Cohen, Daniel Wallis Organizations: FTX, United, REUTERS, U.S, District, Alameda Research, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Manhattan, Palo Alto , California, Bahamas, New York

BOSTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday urged a judge to restrict JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) and American Airlines (AAL.O) from entering into any partnerships with other carriers akin to their now-scrapped Northeast Alliance, which the judge deemed anticompetitive. JetBlue and American Airlines are winding down their arrangement announced in 2020, in which they joined forces for flights in and out of New York City and Boston. JetBlue subsequently decided to terminate the alliance, while preparing to defend a planned $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines (SAVE.N) in court in a separate Justice Department antitrust case seeking to block that deal. While the Northeast Alliance is set to be fully wound down by January, the Justice Department has been pushing for further restrictions on the companies. Daniel Wall, a lawyer for American Airlines, called the appointment of monitor highly unusual and said restrictions on deals with other airlines was a step too far.

Persons: Leo Sorokin, William Jones, Sorokin, Jones, Daniel Wall, Wall, Department's, Nate Raymond, Richard Chang Organizations: BOSTON, U.S . Department of Justice, Wednesday, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, Alliance, JetBlue, Boston . U.S, District, Justice Department, Spirit Airlines, Department, Northeast Alliance, Thomson Locations: New York City, Boston ., Boston

NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) - Joe Lewis, the British billionaire and owner of the Tottenham Hotspur soccer team, has been criminally charged in New York for orchestrating a "brazen" insider trading scheme. Joe Lewis is a wealthy man," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a video on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. Insider trading has long been a focus of Williams' office, dating to 2009 when a crackdown began under one of his predecessors, Preet Bharara. Prosecutors said that in some insider trading cases, Lewis lent money to recipients of his tips, including in Oct. 2019 when he wired $1 million to two pilots so they could buy more Mirati shares. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast.

Persons: Joe Lewis, Lewis, Damian Williams, " Williams, Williams, Preet Bharara, Mirati, Boss, Marty, JPMorgan Chase, Jonathan Stempel, Luc Cohen, Chris Reese, Lincoln Organizations: YORK, Tottenham Hotspur, Prosecutors, U.S, Tavistock Group, Forbes, Therapeutics, Biosciences, Australian Agricultural, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: New York, Tavistock, Bear Stearns

July 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is finalizing its long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Amazon (AMZN.O) in a move that could ultimately break up parts of the company, Politico reported on Tuesday. The complaint could focus on challenges to Amazon Prime, Amazon rules that the FTC says block lower prices on competing websites, and policies it believes force merchants to use Amazon's logistics and advertising services, the report said. Politico did not mention the exact details of the final lawsuit, but said personnel throughout the agency, including FTC Chair Lina Khan, have homed in on several of Amazon's business practices. The FTC declined to comment and Amazon did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Last month, the FTC accused Amazon of enrolling millions of consumers into its paid subscription Amazon Prime service without their consent and making it hard for them to cancel.

Persons: Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Lina Khan, Shivani Tanna, Arun Koyyur, Subhranshu Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Politico, Amazon Prime, FTC, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

July 26 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has asked a federal appeals court to lift an order sharply curbing government officials' communications with social media companies as a lawsuit accusing U.S. officials of seeking to censor certain views about COVID-19 and other topics online makes its way through the courts. Circuit Court of Appeals, the administration argued that a lower court judge's July 4 decision was overly broad and would hurt the government's ability to fight misinformation on platforms in a crisis. "The government cannot punish people for expressing different views," lawyers for U.S. President Joe Biden's administration wrote. The government must be allowed to seek to persuade people of its views, even where those views are the subject of controversy." His preliminary order came in a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, Terry Doughty, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Brendan Pierson, Susan Heavey Organizations: U.S, New, Circuit, Appeals, District, Facebook, YouTube, Democratic, Republican, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of, Thomson Locations: New Orleans, U.S, Monroe , Louisiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New York

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